Curse of Strahd

Death House

Exploring the Durst house

1

APR/17

After a brief discussion, they finished their climb to the attic and began to look around. The first door they checked was to a bedroom with two beds, toys, a dollhouse, other furnishings, and the skeletons of two children. Clearly, these were the skeletons of the children who greeted them, outside — obviously now ghosts. The dollhouse also appeared to be an exact model of the house in which they currently stood. The entire scene was eerie enough that no one stepped foot into the room. This approached remained as they checked the other rooms in the attic. Ryota stepped, briefly, into the entryway of a spare bedroom, but all other rooms were observed exclusively from the doorway.

After the attic, the group began working their way down, back to the main floor. As they did so, they became bolder — they entered rooms on the third floor, but did not open most dressers, boxes, and the like. What they did find was a well furnished nanny's room and a nursery off that. When Ryota attempted to enter the nursery, an apparition appeared behind the group and attacked them. They were able to dispatch it quickly, allowing them to investigate the nursery. Within the crib lay a swaddled bundle, but when the swaddling was pulled back, it was empty. Also on the third floor was a master suite in which little of interest was discovered — but an animated suit of armor attacked them on their way across the hall.

On the second floor, they found the servants' quarters, a music room, and a library. At first, it seemed that there was nothing of interest, but then Ryko found a secret door hidden by a bookshelf. The walls of the room beyond were lined with books of occult rituals and lore which, upon examination, proved to be almost entirely false. The contents of the half-open chest within were much more interesting, however. A skeleton, slumped partially in the chest, held a letter in its hand which read:

My most pathetic servant,

I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.

You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a stillborn son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.

The chest, itself, held the deeds to the house and a windmill, as well as several scrolls and books. A will found in the chest bequeathing the house, windmill, and other family property to Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst and signed by Gustav and Elisabeth Durst.

The kitchen and dining room on the first floor held little of interest. The den, however, contained a small armory of hunting weapons, as well as taxidermied animals and rich furnishings.